SAN ANTONIO – Saturday morning was the first time in the 2024-25 school year that St. Anthony Catholic High School’s cross-country team didn’t have to wake up at 5 a.m. to head to a meet.
Yet, every student on the team showed up to Wounded Warriors Project’s Carry Forward 5K race to support their coach and her husband, a veteran.
“I know our veterans have experienced some of the toughest things in life, and it’s important for them to see that people are still supporting them,” said Coach Valerie Moreno.
Over 2,000 people participated in the Carry Forward 5K race, organized by the Wounded Warrior Project. The nonprofit encourages people to participate in the race in a unique way: by carrying a flag, extra weight, or another person to represent the responsibilities and burdens veterans may carry.
“Military City USA always shows up for this event, but it’s a great reminder of how much the community means to our organization and how they enable us to continue to serve the warriors,” said Earl Fonteno. “Right now, we have about 250,000 registered warriors and family support members. So it’s going to fund the 14 different programs that we have throughout the country”.
Jose Moreno, a veteran, says he and his family have benefitted from services the Wounded Warrior Project has provided for him in the past. This is his third year in the race, and Moreno says it reminded him of some of the best parts of his time in the Army.
“It’s like seeing other veterans helping each other,” he said. “You can see them while you’re running. They were encouraging each other, and it’s just the same camaraderie you would see in the military”.